Nov 3, 2024

Rainfall deficit

 The extraordinary dry October weather in Montgomery continues....and ironically it follows an extraordinarily WET September!

It was the wettest September on record, over the past 130 years in Montgomery!

And yet.......As of October 30, the following locations have over 30 days without any measurable rainfall and are on track to tie for their driest of ANY month on record dating back to the late 1800s: Columbia, South Carolina; Augusta, Georgia; Macon, Georgia (1892-2024); Atlanta, Georgia (1878-2024; Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1893-2024); Huntsville, Alabama (1894-2024); Birmingham, Alabama (1895-2024).

 

What natural sound frightens animals the most at a waterhole?

 Animals at a Waterhole in South Africa Stock Image - Image of scenic,  animals: 45531811

"Almost all 19 of the mammal species observed in experiments were twice as likely to abandon the waterholes when hearing humans talking compared to lions or even hunting sounds. The mammals include rhinos, elephants, giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, and warthogs, some of which can pose dangers in their own right."

 Full story is HERE.

150 Years Ago Today: Election Riot

150th anniversary of the election riots of 1874 in Eufaula.


http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2484
 
 
"Near here is old Spring Hill, the site of one of the polling places for the November 3, 1874 local, state and national elections. Elias M. Keils, scalawag and judge of the Circuit Court of Eufaula, was United States Supervisor at the Spring Hill ballot box. William, his 16 year old son, was with him. After the polls closed, a mob broke into the building, extinguished the lights, destroyed the poll box and began shooting. During the riot, Willie Keils was mortally wounded. The resulting congressional investigation received national attention. This bloody episode marked the end of Republican domination in Barbour County.
 
Erected 1979 by Historic Chattahoochee Commission."
 


 
 

Nov 2, 2024

Reminder about Election Day (from The NY Times)

 

Opinion | The Editorial Board

You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him. Listen to those who know him best. He tried to subvert an election and remains a threat to democracy. He helped overturn Roe, with terrible consequences. Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his whole ethos. He lies without limit. If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrain him. Mr. Trump will use the government to go after opponents. He will pursue a cruel policy of mass deportations. He will wreak havoc on the poor, the middle class and employers. Another Trump term will damage the climate, shatter alliances and strengthen autocrats. Americans should demand better. Vote.

Trouble Ahead?

 

Iran's supreme leader threatens Israel, U.S. with 'crushing response' to Israeli attack

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with school and university students, in Tehran on Saturday.

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with school and university students, in Tehran on Saturday.

Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/AP

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people.

Any further attacks from either side could engulf the wider Middle East, already teetering over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, into a wider regional conflict just ahead of the U.S. presidential election this Tuesday.

FULL STORY HERE.

TGI-Bankruptcy!

 TGI Fridays logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG

(There is one location in Montgomery)
 
Nov 2 (Reuters) - TGI Fridays, an American casual dining chain, said on Saturday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after grappling with prolonged financial challenges and a collapsed deal with UK-based Hostmore.
In a filing with the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Northern District of Texas, the company listed both assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million.
Privately owned by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, TGI Fridays has been a beloved dining destination since its inaugural bar opened in Manhattan, New York, over five decades ago, in 1965.
TGI Fridays, owner and operator of 39 domestic "Thank God it's Friday!" restaurants, said it maintains operations across its corporate-owned 'happy hour' dining places in the U.S., adding that it has secured a financing commitment to support operations.
Rohit Manocha, executive chairman of TGI Fridays, said: "The primary driver of our financial challenges resulted from COVID-19 and our capital structure.
"This restructuring will allow our go-forward restaurants to proceed with an optimized corporate infrastructure that enables them to reach their full potential."
In September, British restaurant operator Hostmore dropped plans to buy TGI Fridays after it was removed as the manager of TGIF Funding, which owns the right to collect royalties from the restaurant chain franchise.
Hostmore, which operated TGI Fridays in Britain through its unit Thursdays (UK), saw its shares crash 90% after the news, and later announced its intention to enter administration, overwhelmed by debt.
The administrators of Thursdays (UK) in October said 35 TGI Fridays restaurants in the country have been closed, leading to 1,012 job losses.
After the bankruptcy announcement on Saturday, the Dallas-based chain said normal operations will continue in all of the franchise locations both in the U.S. and internationally.
TGI Fridays Franchisor, which owns the brand and intellectual property, has franchised TGI Fridays to 56 franchisees in 41 countries. The restaurant operator said those stores are independently owned and are not part of the Chapter 11 process.

Oct 31, 2024

Not enough time, nor enough monkeys.

Monkey Invasion - Wild Earth News & Facts

"The "infinite monkey theorem" has been around for more than a century, though its origin remains unclear. It is commonly attributed to either French mathematician Emile Borel or British anthropologist Thomas Huxley, and some even think the general idea dates back to Aristotle.

 Two Australian mathematicians have deemed the old adage misleading, working out that even if all the chimpanzees in the world were given the entire lifespan of the universe, they would "almost certainly" never pen the works of the bard."

FULL story is HERE.

Legal Pot A SHORT DRIVE away?

 "If voters in the Sunshine State approve Amendment 3" (on November 5th), "Florida will become the first Southern state to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use."

(Read full AL.COM story HERE.)
 

Washington Post & L.A. Times: NO endorsement for president

 “I don’t think there’s a plausible explanation for the endorsement pullbacks other than a fear of retribution from a Trump administration,” Bill Grueskin, a professor at Columbia Journalism School, told CNN. “If either the Post or the Times had just published their endorsements, no matter how full-throated or milquetoast they were, this likely would’ve flown under the radar.” 

From a CNN story (Full story is HERE)

Best cities for jobs

 


 

A Wallethub "study" finds Montgomery ranks

 151 out of 182 cities best for finding a job.

Oct 30, 2024

45 years ago today

 1987 Birmingham mayoral election - Bhamwiki

Richard Arrington was elected the first black Mayor of Birmingham on this date in 1979.

He's 90 years old now.

I was at his victory headquarters inside the old Parliament House Hotel the night he won, and the atmosphere was electric. It took a long time for his supporters to settle down so he could speak. Then, when he said plainly that the voters had for the first time selected a person of color as mayor....another huge round of cheers that delayed the rest of his victory speech.

I was a talk-radio host back then, and had no shortage of disagreements with Hizhonor...BUT I cheered that night when a city known for racial strife took a step forward.

Richard Shelby

 When we praise the former Alabama U.S. Senator for the federal dollars he directed to our state, let's remember this, (From a Pro-Publica story):

When the Navy decided to issue contracts to build 20 littoral combat ships in two states in 2010, it encountered stiff resistance from the then-ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain, a Republican. But Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican representing Alabama, where some of the ships were being built, slipped in an amendment that would allow the Navy to do so in a last-minute budget bill. “He made sure it happened,” a Shelby spokesman said at the time. Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who was initially skeptical of the ships, supported the proposal. He said the plan to build 10 vessels at a shipyard in neighboring Wisconsin would provide “a major boost for the region’s economy.” Even after the Navy finally determined that it only needed 32 of the ships, Congress managed to fund three more.

USS Montgomery (LCS 8)

 

From The Washington Post

 

  "Black turnout in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections was historically high and lopsided, helping Barack Obama win and hold on to the presidency. Though more people overall voted in the 2016 election, more Black voters chose to stay home. It was such a boon to Donald Trump that he gloated about it at a Pennsylvania rally: “They didn’t come out. And that was big — so thank you to the African American community.”

Full Post story is HERE.

Oct 27, 2024

Time Change? 11-3-24

Clocks Fall back one hour on Sunday, 11-3-24 

November 3, 2024



Warmth continues in Alabama

 6-10 day temp outlook

Rain (Please????)

 October is traditionally a very dry month in Montgomery, and as we reach the last days of that month here in 2024, it appears we will live up to that pattern, with zero inches of rain in Montgomery.


 

 

 

 

 

That rainfall on the left was in July.

We really need a good soaking now, at the end of October!

Oct 26, 2024

November Date to red letter on your calendar!

 

 Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson to Host Alabama Frontier Days Montgomery – The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) invites you to its annual Alabama Frontier Days event
on November 6-9, from 9:00 am – 4:00pm, at Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson in Wetumpka, AL.

 

Celebrated as one of Alabama’s largest and most authentic living history events, Alabama Frontier Days brings the 18th century frontier to vivid life. This event focuses on the South as it transitioned from Creek Indian lands to military forts and civilian homesteads from 1700 to 1820. Using Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson as a historical backdrop, the public can experience living historians who will bring the fort to life through military reenactments with booming cannon fire and captivating demonstrations of frontier crafts and trades. "Alabama Frontier Days is the keystone event for Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park and is the largest education based living history program in the state,” said Calvin Chappelle, site director of Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson. “The wonderful thing about this event is that it takes what students have read about or studied in the classroom and brings it to life in a beautiful outdoor setting."
This snapshot of frontier life includes Creek Indians, French soldiers and their families, British traders who lived among the Creeks and American soldiers who fought in Andrew Jackson’s army during the Creek War. There will be period entertainment featuring an eighteenth-century magician, merchants, strolling balladeers, and musicians. AHC Executive Director Lisa D. Jones said, “Alabama Frontier Days is a signature event for AHC. Each year, we welcome thousands of school children who come away with an enhanced understanding of what life was like three hundred years ago. We’ve been proud to continue this educational outreach for more than two decades.”
 

Alabama Frontier Days admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children (ages 6-18 years). The Saturday ‘Family Day’ is a terrific opportunity for families to experience the forts together and learn more about the rich history on site. Food and retail vendors will be available.
Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson was declared a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1961 and was acquired by the AHC in 1971.

About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency
for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s
historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as
public attractions; and statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of
programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov

NY Times endorsement for President

 

"The Only Patriotic Choice for President."

(Hint: it's NOT tRump.)

Oct 25, 2024

From a NY Times editorial column

 Times column HERE

"Trump, meanwhile, stands before his MAGA crowds and spews nonstop lies, ominous threats, impossible promises and utter gibberish. His rhetoric is dismissed, or looked past, without first being interrogated.

Imagine if Harris were promising to end the war in Gaza on her first day in office but wouldn’t say how. Imagine if she were proposing a tariffs-based economic plan that economists say would destabilize the world economy and cost the average family $4,000 a year in higher prices. Imagine if she were promising a “bloody” campaign to uproot and deport millions of undocumented migrants who are gainfully employed and paying taxes. And imagine if Harris were vowing to use the military to go after her political opponents, as Trump repeatedly pledges."

Alabama Bankruptcies

 

"Bankruptcy petitions for consumers and businesses are on the rise. There was a 5% increase in total bankruptcy filings in July 2019 from the previous month, the American Bankruptcy Institute said this week. There were 64,283 bankruptcy filings, up from 62,241 for the same period last year.

There were 452,797 filings in the first seven months of 2019, up from 450,568 during the same period last year. There were roughly 1,000 more consumer bankruptcies at this point this year, compared to the same point last year, the organization added.

The recent bankruptcy data shows many consumer and corporate filings last month were coming, from southern states.  

Alabama had the highest per capita rate, with 5.61 filings per 1,000 people, followed by Tennessee (5.39) and Georgia (4.31), Mississippi (4.25) and Nevada (3.79)."

Self-feces?

 

The Washington Post has the story of the latest "memorial" in D.C. HERE.


Oct 24, 2024

Oct 23, 2024

More Closings

  It's a ghost town': Last remaining ...

There are three Denny's in Alabama (there used to be more!)...now the company is closing about 50 of their locations this year and 100 next year. No list of where the closings will take place!

The existing locations in Alabama are in Hope Hull, Cullman and Dothan.


Near Drought Conditons

 


Parts of Dallas County are approaching drought conditions

Here's what that means:

D2Burn bans begin
Crops are damaged, especially dryland corn
Hydroelectric power decreases; navigation is limited
Large cracks appear in foundations of homes
Large surface water levels drop; agricultural ponds and streams have dried up
Saltwater intrusion occurs in rivers and bays; saltwater wildlife migrate upstream

Bookmark this government website

Oct 19, 2024

Earliest 1st Freeze in Montgomery (in 2022)

 Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

Montgomery Freeze Facts

  • Earliest first freeze - October 19th, 2022
  • Latest first freeze – January 31, 1932
  • Average date of first freeze - November 18th
  • Earliest last freeze – December 28th, 1879
  • Latest last freeze – April 13th, 1940
  • Average date of last freeze - March 8th

Coldest Temperature ever: -5 on February 13th, 1899

Coldest Maximum Temperature ever: 18 on January 9th, 1886

Tomorrow's forecast low of 38 degrees is the closest to freezing in Montgomery...for the moment!